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Wissam Boustany greets me with a huge grin, and so he should. He has a lot to smile about. The approachable 46-year-old is one of the few flutists to have launched a successful career as an international soloist. Combining the traditional with the innovative, he has toured the globe and been called upon to create imaginative programmes for many a composer.
The socially-conscious musician was knighted in his native Lebanon in 1997 for his humanitarian work. His initiative Towards Humanity works with musicians and charities helping communities in war-torn areas, including Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.
Do you prefer teaching or performing?
The two are irrevocably intertwined. When I perform I teach, and when I teach I perform. One discipline feeds into the other. Performing can sometimes be a very lonely experience, especially when travelling to new places and constantly meeting new people. That can be quite draining emotionally. Teaching, on the other hand, can be tremendously stimulating as it allows me to be around a lot of young people. It is also an excellent discipline for me to verbalise all my ideas and justify them to other people. It helps me clarify and crytallise my own approach to playing the flute and performing. In a sense, when I give a good lesson to a student, I am learning something too.
You travel all over for your performances and teaching. Do you recall a favourite destination or concert?
One of the most amazing tours was a month-long tour to Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, followed by a month in the US. My wife Shermine travelled with us, and it was a great experience. South America is just exploding with colour, scent and music. The Indian people (especially in the Andes) are desperately poor, but so powerful and in touch with their existence. Their music is full of pain, but also strength. Also, there are so many Lebanese who settled there several decades ago, and are always so proud when they come to my concerts.
You have won various accolades, including a knighthood in your native Lebanon. Which has been your proudest moment?
My proudest moment was when a girl with severe Downes Syndrome suddenly stood up during a concert of mine in Egypt and danced The Swan. My proudest moment is when I was passed a note by a member of the audience in Bahrain (I never actually met the person) which said: “For several years, I’ve had problems breathing. Tonight, your music helped me breathe.” My proudest moment is when, through the power of music, we feel that we are able to reach within ourselves and into others, and experience with full intensity the miracle of being alive.
Is your flexible schedule good or bad for your family life?I am always running, but I have somewhat flexible hours, so I can often be with the children. What hurts a lot, though, is that during the summer months, I have to travel to several international intensive flute courses. It breaks my heart to be away from the children when they are on holiday. But I am also conscious that, with some distance separating us, we learn to appreciate each other even more.
Though classical music has been embraced in recent years by a wider audience, it is still very difficult to make a name for yourself in the field. Do you ever wish you were as ‘famous’ as the average pop star, and how do you measure your success?
The average pop star is exactly what I do not want to be. I find ‘average’ quite boring. Many pop stars seem to fit into a formula that is driven by trends set by the music industry’s pandering to the lowest common denominator in human beings, namely sex (of course there are exceptions to this). ‘Success’ is often a highly misunderstood concept. What is successful about a person losing his or her soul in the process of becoming ‘famous’? To me, that is the definition of failure on a massive scale. ‘Fame’ is not an aspiration. I believe that if your love is large enough to embrace the whole of humanity, then the whole of humanity becomes your playing field. A person could not wish for more than that.
Have you achieved what you set out to when you first chose to become a flutist?
When I was a teenager, I set out to become the world’s best flute player, but my perspective on life has evolved with age (I am 45 now). I have discovered that ‘best’ is another one of those second-rate words. Instead, I have chosen to invest my life’s work in the art of loving, as taught to me by my flute and the simple miracle of life itself, free of the chains imposed by organised religion and politics. My flute has simply become the voice of all that. In that sense, I have achieved much more than I ever hoped for.
What plans do you have for your career in the future?
I am currently promoting my latest CD Mirror of Eternity. I also need to get my mind around producing my next recordings. I am currently involved in a very big long-term project which is a wonderful children’s animation entitled Stephan and the Lost Dove. I also have some pending trips to Germany, the US, Scotland, Greece, Ukraine and Australia. An increasing number of composers are dedicating new works for me, so there is always a lot of music to memorise. Each piece is a mountain to climb.
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Wissam Boustany greets me with a huge grin, and so he should. He has a lot to smile about. The approachable 46-year-old is one of the few flutists to have launched a successful career as an international soloist. Combining the traditional with the innovative, he has toured the globe and been called upon to create imaginative programmes for many a composer. The socially-conscious musician was knighted in his native Lebanon in 1997 for his humanitarian work. His initiative Towards Humanity works with musicians and charities helping communities in war-torn areas, including Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.
Do you prefer teaching or performing?
The two are irrevocably intertwined. When I perform I teach, and when I teach I perform. One discipline feeds into the other. Performing can sometimes be a very lonely experience, especially when travelling to new places and constantly meeting new people. That can be quite draining emotionally. Teaching, on the other hand, can be tremendously stimulating as it allows me to be around a lot of young people. It is also an excellent discipline for me to verbalise all my ideas and justify them to other people. It helps me clarify and crytallise my own approach to playing the flute and performing. In a sense, when I give a good lesson to a student, I am learning something too.
You travel all over for your performances and teaching. Do you recall a favourite destination or concert?
One of the most amazing tours was a month-long tour to Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, followed by a month in the US. My wife Shermine travelled with us, and it was a great experience. South America is just exploding with colour, scent and music. The Indian people (especially in the Andes) are desperately poor, but so powerful and in touch with their existence. Their music is full of pain, but also strength. Also, there are so many Lebanese who settled there several decades ago, and are always so proud when they come to my concerts.
You have won various accolades, including a knighthood in your native Lebanon. Which has been your proudest moment?
My proudest moment was when a girl with severe Downes Syndrome suddenly stood up during a concert of mine in Egypt and danced The Swan. My proudest moment is when I was passed a note by a member of the audience in Bahrain (I never actually met the person) which said: “For several years, I’ve had problems breathing. Tonight, your music helped me breathe.” My proudest moment is when, through the power of music, we feel that we are able to reach within ourselves and into others, and experience with full intensity the miracle of being alive.
Is your flexible schedule good or bad for your family life?I am always running, but I have somewhat flexible hours, so I can often be with the children. What hurts a lot, though, is that during the summer months, I have to travel to several international intensive flute courses. It breaks my heart to be away from the children when they are on holiday. But I am also conscious that, with some distance separating us, we learn to appreciate each other even more.
Though classical music has been embraced in recent years by a wider audience, it is still very difficult to make a name for yourself in the field. Do you ever wish you were as ‘famous’ as the average pop star, and how do you measure your success?
The average pop star is exactly what I do not want to be. I find ‘average’ quite boring. Many pop stars seem to fit into a formula that is driven by trends set by the music industry’s pandering to the lowest common denominator in human beings, namely sex (of course there are exceptions to this). ‘Success’ is often a highly misunderstood concept. What is successful about a person losing his or her soul in the process of becoming ‘famous’? To me, that is the definition of failure on a massive scale. ‘Fame’ is not an aspiration. I believe that if your love is large enough to embrace the whole of humanity, then the whole of humanity becomes your playing field. A person could not wish for more than that.
Have you achieved what you set out to when you first chose to become a flutist?
When I was a teenager, I set out to become the world’s best flute player, but my perspective on life has evolved with age (I am 45 now). I have discovered that ‘best’ is another one of those second-rate words. Instead, I have chosen to invest my life’s work in the art of loving, as taught to me by my flute and the simple miracle of life itself, free of the chains imposed by organised religion and politics. My flute has simply become the voice of all that. In that sense, I have achieved much more than I ever hoped for.
What plans do you have for your career in the future?I am currently promoting my latest CD Mirror of Eternity. I also need to get my mind around producing my next recordings. I am currently involved in a very big long-term project which is a wonderful children’s animation entitled Stephan and the Lost Dove. I also have some pending trips to Germany, the US, Scotland, Greece, Ukraine and Australia. An increasing number of composers are dedicating new works for me, so there is always a lot of music to memorise. Each piece is a mountain to climb.
© SharqMagazine.com
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